Clearing The Smoke
by Megwill
Summary: Necessary for life and necessary for love.Friends-you and me,you brought another friend and then there were 3. "I have a predicament." Brennan sat down next to Angela. "Which you need my help for?" Angela's eyes shone with hope. Hannah-a catalyst?Finally.


_Friendships forged are a construct stronger_

_than steel built as a foundation,_

_necessary for life and necessary for love._

_Friends-you and me_

_You brought another friend_

_and then there were 3._

_We started our group_

_Our circle of friends_

_and like that circle_

_There is no beginning or end..._

_~author unknown_

A couple of weeks ago Dr. Temperance Brennan had realized her partner and her use to be more than 'just partners', seven months ago she had figured out she loved him, and a year ago he had asked her to "give them a try." Things didn't go well that night she had rejected him built her walls out of fear of the unknown. He had said so much and so fast, all she knew to do was build her walls.

Now, after realizing she was in love with him, after she had turned his offer down, after realizing her and her partner had been more than 'just partners.' She also, realized it may have been too late. For the same night she realized they use to be more than just partners, was the same day she met Hannah Burley. Booth's very nice, smart, attractive, and supposedly serious as a heart attack girlfriend. Time had left her standing there, alone.

Time was not on her side, she had missed her moment her chance-it had come and gone. Thankfully, her partner had taught her that sometimes goodbye was a second chance. She reconciled with her father after a goodbye, reconciled with Russ, and Dr. Temperance Brennan was never one to let others get in her way. Was she? She was a woman who spoke her mind, right? Her eyes had been opened wide and now it was hard to look and act the same around him.

Booth's words still lingered in her head she couldn't get them to leave no matter how hard she tried to forget. They still invited their way in, intruding on her day-affecting her work ever the slightest. "Serious as a heart attack...love her." She had done the best she could to get through the past couple of weeks, but now she had a problem. Second chances were not unheard of, but neither was wasted time. Though, second chances and wasted time had a lot in common, both were a choice.

She knew the choice she wanted to make, but would it be right to let Booth know how she felt when he was in a relationship? So, she did what she always had done when having to make difficult decisions on certain predicaments such as this and asked Angela over tonight. Well, more Angela had invited herself sensing something was wrong.

According to Angela, she and Booth just weren't acting normal. What had Angela said? Brennan picked at her brain for the exact words Angela used, oh yes. 'They were their selves, yet at the same time they weren't-at all.' Which made no sense, but Angela said a lot of things Brennan sometimes didn't understand. Brennan opened a bottle of merlot, even if her friend couldn't drink-she definitely could. Plus, the merlot was very appealing to her right now…maybe it was because she knew deep down it would take the edge off of the last couple of weeks. She heard a knock on her door and opened it glass in hand.

"I see we are starting already?" an eyebrow ever so slightly raised.

Brennan said nothing, just followed her best friend into her kitchen where she watched as her friend promptly found a clean glass, opened the fridge and poured herself a diet soda. Glass now full, Angela turned to her glass now in hand, full.

"So, what is the occasion Bren?" Angela knew they weren't celebrating anything, but someone had to open the conversation and she had a feeling it probably wasn't going to be Brennan.

"There isn't an occasion."

"Why am I here then?" There was silence. Angela walked over to the couch and sat down waiting on a reply Brennan followed a bit annoyed she had walked away from her.

Brennan thought, because you invited yourself. "I have a predicament." She slowly sat next to Angela on the couch.

"Which, you need my help for?" Angela's eyes shone for a second with hope. Brennan nodded yes slowly.

Brennan paused inhaled then continued. "Booth asked if he and I could be an 'us' last year, make us work." Brennan frowned, a sigh escaping her she quickly looked down at the bottle she held then back to Angela. "…and I turned him down." Brennan remembered the pain in her partner's eyes. She hated knowing she caused him that pain. Brennan's eyes searched Angela's seeking some sort of answer.

Angela had wished for a long time one of the two of them would break the stalemate, but it was Brennan. Angela knew she was scared. Inside she was excited, yet sad for Booth, when he had finally made a move only to be turned down. She had only hoped he hadn't scared Bren's walls back up. For, with him, her walls seemed to crumble, he held the key to get inside and everyone knew what that key really unlocked her heart. It was a shame how the story has to unfold sometimes Angela thought.

"I remember, sweetie." Bren had mentioned a predicament. "What's your predicament?"

Brennan didn't like the subject but she did invite Angela over for advice. "I found that I can't move on like Booth, I can't help but think that I…that _we_ may have a second chance. That my moment as you call it is not gone, but I don't want to hurt him. He seems happy with Hannah and I don't want to be the one to make him unhappy again. Though, I find I can't risk losing Booth, not again."

"So, basically that is your way of saying you love Booth and I was right?"

"Yes and that I need to know what to do."

"Oh, Sweetie you have to tell him. Booth still loves you and I have a feeling he knows you love him too."

Brennan looked away slightly annoyed at how right Angela could be, at how her and Booth could read people so well while she could not. "How can you be sure?" Angela waited for her to go on Brennan's eyes were on Angela's again. "He has moved on Angela, he has Hannah now."

"Sweetie, Hannah is a very nice person who unfortunately didn't know what she was getting into. Bren, you are keeping a very dirty little secret bottled up. Just like bottles eventually wash onto shore bearing messages. Secrets eventually are discovered...it just takes time. You tell Booth your little secret and I'm telling you, he will throw her back out to sea." Angela received a confused expression. "He will dump her if you tell him you love him."

"Oh. But you can't be sure of that."

"Love is about risks sweetie."

"I don't want to risk Booth I told you that."

"Booth risked you."

Brennan looked at Angela with pained eyes. Why did she have to remind her of that? Her voice became an octave higher, desperate. "I know Angela and I crushed his heart, why would he want to risk that again. Why would he expect a different outcome? He told me he loved Hannah."

Angela sighed a bit sad for her friend and frustrated with her. How in the hell could she put this in Brennan terms? She thought as Brennan went on.

"No matter what happens between you two, you will always be partners, right?"

"We're still working together at the moment but you have no proof we will always be partners."

"And that scares you?" Angela knew the answer but was trying to see just how bad she was scared. Though, she needs not be, he was hers and she was his. That was that. Hannah or no Hannah, some people you just keep going back to like damn magnets they pull you in. You push, you pull, you go up you go down, and it's a struggle sometimes.

Though, Angela knew at the end of the day that same person you pushed away was the only person you could imagine yourself with, the one you screamed inside for, the only one that knew you in your entirety. Jack was her one person, and she had no doubt Booth was Bren's.

"Does what scare me?"

"The thought of loosing Booth to someone else."

"Booth said he wouldn't work with anyone else, but me." Though, she said this aloud, the thought of losing him not only to someone else, but losing him at all terrified her to the core. Angela didn't have to listen close to hear Bren's voice shaking as she spoke.

"Brennan, listen to me no matter what, you are always going to be Booths' and he is yours and I'm not just talking about partners. You two have a relationship that will with stand whatever is thrown it's way. The love-"

"But Han-"

Angela tried another approach. "Think of Hannah as an experiment."

"I don't understand."

"Think of you and Booth as lab partners, Hannah is the aftermath, the smoke when the thing blew."

"Booth and I aren't lab partners, he is an F.B.I agent, I'm a Forensic Anthropologist, and Hannah is a human not smoke."

"Yeah, I know Bren. The experiment blowing up was a metaphor to how Booth will take it if you did tell him your little secret. Bren, he would know that whatever happened will eventually pass, like smoke from an experiment. He wouldn't ever think about leaving you because you are partners, you don't leave your lab partner, even when you can't see them through the smoke, because they have blown something up. You know they will be standing right next to you because they are your partner and you are theirs."

Brennan still looked confused, Angela was nevertheless patient although her body language was a bit over the top, and she slouched her shoulders at Brennan's confused state. "Think back to high school, did your lab partner ever blow an experiment up?" Angela made a fist and opened it quickly, mimicking an explosion, her eyes were big.

"Yes, she was horrible in chemistry."

"Yet, you knew even through the smoke, when you couldn't see her; you knew that she was going to be standing at your side when it cleared." Angela thought she saw a light go off in Brennan's eyes.

"Of course, we were partners, though I didn't like her." Brennan poured herself another glass of wine.

"The point is Brennan, so Booth blew it. The smoke will clear sweetie, in time. You need to realize you are his partner she is the ephemeral one."

"You can't be sure of that, you have no proof."

"I have seen enough of the two-five years of you two. I have proof, besides sweetie, you shouldn't have to prove love with hard evidence. If you had to prove love I would have been married a hell of a lot more, I wouldn't know what to do with all of the rings. Actually, come to think of it e-bay is a great place to get rid of ex's jewelry and make some money just so you know. Anyway, you asked my advice and I'm telling you, tell him. Hannah won't be around forever, I can feel it."

"Statistics have proven that most marriages fail. Are you insinuating I should marry Booth, because I'm not going to?

"No sweetie, you asked for my advice and I'm telling you to tell Booth. Hannah won't be around forever, the smoke will clear."

"I don't know Angela, it's complicated."

"Life is complicated."

"What if-"

"NO...we are not doing what ifs."

"But I'm worried it will turn out bad." Brennan

"How do you know it will turn out bad?" Brennan struggled to assemble her thoughts, a whirlwind in her mind they raced, so many thoughts on the matter.

Angela smiled a sad smile at her friend. "You are so afraid to lose him Bren, yet just as scared to let him know that." Brennan opened her mouth to say something yet nothing came out.

It was ten O' clock, Angela had left, the bottle of Merlot was empty, and I lay in bed confused yet at the same time everything seemed clearer than it had been in a while. Most of what Angela said made sense, except Booth and I weren't lab partners, and Hannah was not smoke. Booth and my partnership was more than an experiment or some silly metaphor, much more. I think. Angela did say one thing that my mind kept coming back to tonight. "How do I know it will turn out bad?" What gave me the rights to think-to assume- everything was going to turn out bad? So, here I lay, should I or shouldn't I? Angela didn't help much her "I have a feeling", that Hannah won't be here long wasn't very reassuring.

I stare at the red numbers on my alarm next to my bed. It was now three thirty three I had been starring into the dark for over five hours and my head was throbbing with so many possibilities. Suddenly I sat up, feeling a calm wash over me and knowing what I had to do, for I couldn't keep living this way. Starting today, I was going to make the choice I knew was the right one. I was taking back _my_ moment, and holding my ground. I wasn't going to let time become wasted. Head on my pillow I smiled, because I had finally made a decision. I was taking my life back. Angela was right the smoke would clear, especially if there was a strong wind that blew its way.

* * *

Pretty sure this is complete, I felt very mean writing this...poor Hannah, not her fault. Inspired a bit by the song 'Not Afraid' I _may_ as in _might_ do a chap that shows exactly what Bren does to take her moment back. Depending on your input... let me know if I should?. Reviews are fuel to my writing fire and will make the difference.


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